Bucket-wheel.



PATENTED MAY 1, 190a.

J. WILKINSON.

BUCK-ET WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAYE, 1905.

- IIVI/E/VTOR 6 damas 144% 2760/1 s 28 WITNESSES: 23 6m I 30 i 11 $144M wi i U NITE n s'rA'ras PATENT OFFICE.

.\ ()ORPORA'LIOX OF ALABAMA.

BUCKET-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed May 5, 1905. Serial No. 258,970.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES VVILKINsoN, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bucket Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of bucket-wheels for elasticfluid turbines.

In constructing a bucket-wheel in accordance with my present invention I provide a wheel body which may be of any desired construction, having, however, a rim portion which is flanged or shouldered 'on both sides. I provide the separate buckets with end portions cut away so that the buckets rest on the wheel-rim and have flanges that straddle the rim and engage the under faces of the shoul ders thereon, which thus serve to hold the buckets in .place. .The rim shoulders are notched at one or more points to enable the flanged ends of the buckets to be mounted on the rim, after which the buckets are slipped around the rim until properly arranged, when spacer-rings, having recessed faces which engage the end of the buckets, are mounted on the wheel and act to hold the buckets in place. The strain of holding the buckets on the wheel is taken up entirely by'the shouldered rim and not by bolts or locking-rings, as is the more common practice. By recessin the inner faces of the spacer r ngs so t at the lower ends of the buckets enter these recesses it will be evident that the buckets will be held firmly against any rattling or shifting and may be easily spaced. I can ,form the rim-shoulders bycasting them integral with .the wheel or, as,shown, byfmachining a 4 wheel-blank formed from a-steel plate to form two annular grooves on opposite sides near its peri hery. The distance of these grooves froin the rim determines the thickness and strength of the rim-shoulders.

The gist of m invention consisting in securing the hue ets to the wheel without bending or deforming them. or the direct use of rivets, bolts, or-locking-rings and spacing and holding them against lateral movement by s" acer-rings, I desire to protect all such modifications of the illustrative mechanism hereinafter more fully described as come within the scope of my said inventionsuch, for

instance, as using only one rim-shoulder on the wheel.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthe specification, Figure 1 is a partial vertical sectional view through a bucket-wheel, showing the manner of mounting the buckets and hub-flanges 6o.

thereon. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent similar views of the wheel, spacer-rings, and buckets as shown in F i 1 detached and read to be assembled Fig. 6 is a side view bro en away of Fig. 1. the bucket-wheel with several buckets re-, moved. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the spacer-rings about to be secured to the wheel. Fig. 9 is a-partial elevation of the inner face of a spacer-ring. 10 is a similar view of the wheel-rim. Fig. 11 isv a sectional View along the line at x of Fig. 5. Fig. 12 is a sec- Fig. 7 is a top plan view of '65 tional view of a modification of my invention in which the spacer-rings are formed from pressed metal and a different-shaped bucket used. Fig. 13 is a top plan view of Fig. 12.

Similar referencemumerals refer'to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Thebucket-wheel illustrating one embodiment of my invention comprises a body portion 1 in the form of a circular lateof sheet metal provided with a centre. opening by which it is mounted on the turbine-shaft (not shown) and preferably two annular grooves or channels 2 formed on each side near its periphery. These grooves or channels form annular rim-shoulders 3. In cross-sectional contour the rim is T-shaped, the rim-shoulders being cut away to the surface of the channels 2 at suitable oints to provide notches 4, by means of w ich the buckets 5 'may be mounted upon the wheel. These buckets. 5 are preferably cut from a rolled stri of steel, being cut at one end to leave a T-s aped openin thereinbetweentheflanges 6, which have s oulders7. These flanges are shown curved from their lower ends to the sides of the bucket.

The shoulderedflanges 6 are separated a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the channeled portion of the wheel, so that the bifurcated end of the bucket can he slipped over the notched portion ofthe wheelrim. After the bucket has been slipped over the wheel-rim its bottom face will rest upon the outer periphery of the rim, and the shoulthat none of their flanges 6 are dis osed opposite the. notches in the rim. en they ave been spaced equidistant around the wheel, I secure them inthis position by means of two annular spacer-rings 9, These spacerrings are provided with an enlarged head portion 10 and a relatively thin body portion 11, which latter corresponds in thickness with the depth of the channels 2, in which the ringsare mounted and held in position by a rivets 12, inserted thronghopenings 13 in the flanges 11 andcorresponding openings 14 in the reduced portion-of" the. -ri m. The inner faces of-these; rings. are ada ted to-conf orm with the contour ofthe 'shou dered rim, being grooved atl15', so thattheir up er portions engage the rim-shoulders 3, w e their head portions 10 are disposed flush with the wheel- .rim toform extensions on either side thereof, constituting the complete sectional wheel- These rings are provided with a" plurality of tapering recesses 16 in the inner faces of their head portions which are adapted to receive the ends of the buckets below a line parallel with the face These openings are preferably'milled or c t into the rings by a circular cutter and are of such proportion that when the buckets have been so spaced they will enter the several recesses of the rings and the latter have been secured in place in the wheel the bucket-flanges will fit tightly within these recesses.

These rings have tongues 17, which enter the notches 4 in the shoulders 3, so that the rim of thewheel These rings not has an unbroken surface.

. only serve to space the buckets properly, but,

' have parallel faces.

as the taperin bucket-flanges fit tightly in the correspon ingly-tapered recesses ofthe rings they also serve to hold the buckets 1y against lateral dis lacement. The buckets are gheld against ra ial displacement by the engagement of their shouldered flanges 6 with the rim-flanges 3.

In Figs. -11 and 12 I have illustrated a modification of my invention wherein sp acerrings" formed of pressed-metal are shown in combination with buckets 18, which differ from the buckets 5 in that their wings 19 to-. ward the sidesfrom which the fluid stream delivered to; the bucket-wheel is dischar ed This provides a is charge passage-way for the motor fluid delivered to the buckets which does not increase in cross-sectional area from the central portion of the passage-way. The wi ngs 20 of than the other flange 22.

the buckets are tapering, as in the case of buckets 5. I wings 19 slightly unbalances the wheel, and to compensate this I form the shouldered flange 21 on the opposite side of the base portion of each bucket from the wing 19 larger The increased amount of metal in the flange 21 corresponds with the increased amount of metal in the wing 19, and this balances the wheel. The lower portions of the bucket-flanges in this construction are shown squared, and the spacer-rings 23 and 24 are secured by rivets 25 in the grooves 2, continuingupwardly to a point near the base of the flanges 21 and 22, where they are bent outwardly a distance corresponding with the width of the flanges, then upwardly to a point in the plane with the wheel-rim, then inwardly on a line with this rim to abut against the sides of the same, and then downwardly and under the rimshoulders. It will be noted that the rings 23 are bent toconform with the bucket-flanges 21, while the rings 24 are bent to conform with the bucket-flanges 22, suitable slots being cut in the upper faces of the rings to provide for the reception of the bucket-Wings and by means of which the buckets are spaced and held in position in the manner already described.

The bucket-wheel, as shown, is provided with annular channels 26 near its hub portion, which'channels are engaged by shouldered rings 27 and 28, the shoulders 29 in the rings entering said channels and the latter of said rings being provided with an enlarged hub-flan e 30. In Fig. 1 I show the inner face of t ese rings-in the position in which they rest upon the turbine-shaft, it being noted that these rings abut against each other in such amanner as to prevent the disengagement of their shoulders from the wheelchannels, any suitable means being provided to hold these rings in place.

The construc'tlon thus described may be manufactured at comparatively small cost and may be readily repaired or taken apart, no bolts being used in this construction except such as are sufficient to hold the'light spacer-rings in position in the grooves 2 of the wheel.

It will be evident that the rim-shoulders serve to relieve these bolts of: the centrifugal strain of the spacer-rings, these shoulders being also of'suflicient strength to take care of the centrifugal strain of the buckets.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In combination, a bucket-bearing element having a bucket-sup 'orting ortion shoulderedon each side an recesse to re- -ceive the buckets having bifurcated ends,

and buckets adapted to be slipped astride said portion and brought into interlocking This increase of metal in the,

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engagement'with said shoulders by a movement of the buckets around said element.

2. In combination, a bucket-wheel having a bucket-engaging portion on one or both sides of its rim, integral bucket elements bifurcated and adapted-to straddle said rim and bucket-engaging portion or portions and to interlock with the latter, and means to space said buckets.

3. A bucket-wheel having shoulders near its periphery, notches in said shoulders, and buckets having shouldered openings in their ends which are adapted to be passed over said wheel and through said notches and to engage said wheel-shoulders when moved out of register with said notches.

4. A bucket-wheel having a rim substantially T-shaped in cross-section, a bucket having a substantially T-shaped recess in one end, and means to mount said bucket astride said rim portion, substantially as described.

5. A bucket-wheel having a narrow shouldered rim, buckets having recessed portions which straddle said rim and interlock with the shoulders thereof, and elements connected to said wheel,which are recessed to receive the inner end portions of said buckets 'and hold them in relative osition.

6. A bucket-wheel aving a sectional rim portion comprising a shouldered peri heral section of the wheel-bod and recessec rings detachably connected t ereto, in combination with buckets having portions engaging the shoulders on said wheel-body whereby said buckets are held against radial displacement, said portions being adapted to engage within recesses in said rings, whereby said buckets are held against lateral displacement.

7.- In combination, a shouldered bucketsupporting device, a .lurality of buckets bifurcated at one end y a slot which corresponds in shape with the cross-sectional contour of said device, the bifurcated ends of the buckets being adapted to interlock with said device in a manner to permit of their adjustment to and from each other, one or more members having a plurality of equidistantlyspaced tapering slots which receive the lower ends of the buckets, and means to secure said member or members to said device.

S. The combination with a bucket-wheel having a body portion of sheet metal provided with a central shafbopening, of a ring provided with a shoulder which interlocks with a ortion of said wheel-body, and an integral t ange on said ring adapted to enga e the hub portioniof an adjacent Wheel, substantially as described.

9. In a bucket-wheel, a body portion of sheet metal having a central shaft-opening and recesses in its sides near said opening, rings secured to said body to form the wheelhub, which have annular shoulders that enage in said recesses and are locked therein by the en agement of said rings with the rings attached to adjacent wheels and one or more rings secured around the periphery of said body and forming the wheel-rim.

10. A bucket-wheel having a sectional rim comprised of a central portion integral with the wheel and a detachable ring on each side thereof, in combination with buckets connected to said central portion and engaged by said rings, substantially as described.

11. A bucket-wheel, a plurality of buckets connected thereto, and spacer means for said buckets comprising an element secured to said wheel and provided with a plurality of equidistant recesses into which portions of the buckets are adapted to enter, and by means of which they are held in relative position.

12. The combination with a bucket-wheel having a body portion of sheet metal provided with a central shaft-opening and an annular groove in each side adjacent to said opening, of av air of rings adapted to form a detachable hu for said wheel which are provided with annular shoulders that engage in said side recesses, one of said rings being provided with a laterally projecting annular flange which engages the hub portion of an adjacent wheel, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing w1tnesses.

JAMES WILKINSON. Witnesses:

ALBAN P. REYNOLDS, JOHN J. Dnvnnrsn. 

